


Oh Dust and Bones

by scarcelyMischievous



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Bad Ending, Emotional Manipulation, Emperor Hux, First Order wins AU, Hux is Not Nice, M/M, Past Relationship(s), Refugee Kylo, Refugee Rey, Unhealthy Relationships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-04
Updated: 2016-08-07
Packaged: 2018-07-29 06:38:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7673884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scarcelyMischievous/pseuds/scarcelyMischievous
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The last thing Rey expected to see after the New Empire had risen was Kylo Ren in the exact same position as her; on the run and hiding from the Emperor's eyes. </p><p>But what did he do to put himself in that predicament? Wasn't he and the Emperor in love?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

It had been so long since the Resistance had made their presence openly known. They couldn’t be as public as they previously were, back when they had a real chance to give the New Republic hope. That would be impossible to do now, seeing that the New Republic was no more. Only the new Empire lie in its wake. 

That's what the First Order had unfortunately become after its victory in the war. After they claimed a hold on all of the galaxy, Kylo Ren had slain his master, the one said to be the Supreme Leader, and the Order's general took on the role. Emperor Armitage Hux. 

The title paired with the name had always brought bitterness to Rey, even before she saw his coronation. Ever since then, things had been frantic and yet...nothing seemed out of place. The Empire did indeed bring order to the galaxy, but only through fear and utter domination. It was the Emperor's own controlled chaos. 

Rey had managed to get to a distant planet on the outer rim safely, away from any eyes of the Empire. Luke had asked her to lay low for a while, until what was left of the Resistance could figure out their next move. She wanted to help, but Luke pointed out how risky it would be. She had just recently become a full fledged Jedi; the galaxy didn't need to lose another. 

So lay low was exactly what she did. Or, tried to do, anyway. 

The planet she moved to was mainly deserted, but those who lived here weren't exactly suitable company. Smugglers, bounty hunters, thugs and gangsters-- more than once she found herself in problematic situations involving all. Just like today. 

She could barely remember how everything went down. She was just at a local cantina, trying to find some sort of work, when a trigger-happy bounty hunter burst in and began shooting. 

Rey didn't trust bounty hunters, not when she was one of the Empire’s most wanted, so naturally she tried to flee. If it been were anywhere else, she would have stayed and defended the patrons of the cantina. But everyone had their own weapons and years of experience with danger; they could handle themselves just fine. 

It looked like Rey had actually been the hunter's target, so his attention was focused on her even as the others started attacking. Had she been able to use the Force in public, she would have dodged the attacks easily. However, she had just stumbled out of the cantina when blaster bolt struck her shoulder. 

She cried out but forced herself to keep running. She didn't sense anyone chasing after her, but she still didn't stop until the cantina was nowhere in sight, along with anyone that came from there.

It was only then that the pain became unbearable. Rey collapsed to her knees, groaning as she gripped her shoulder. She looked around, trying to see if she could identify her current location. Although, even that was difficult as she started to feel light headed. Nothing around seemed familiar; she wasn't even sure if she was anywhere close to home. 

She let out steady breaths as she tried to will herself to ignore the pain. She'd dealt with worse, this was nothing. At least that's what she tried to convince herself. Then, she heard a faint rustling sound behind her, and her head whipped around.

At first, she didn't recognize him. He wore a brown cloak over traditional light farmer's robes. His hair was tied back, and he was growing some facial hair. Even his very presence was hidden from the Force. But then she caught sight of the scar on his face, and it didn't take long before it finally struck her.

“Kylo Ren?!”

He grimaced, clearly keeping his distance. “Scavenger,” he greeted briskly.

Rey reached into her satchel to grab for her lightsaber, but Kylo waved dismissively. “There's no need for that. I'm unarmed and too tired to deal with you.”

Rey narrowed her eyes at him, not moving her hand from the satchel. “And why should I believe anything you have to say?” she demanded. “You're the Emperor's Hound, aren't you?”

A weary smile hinted at Kylo’s lips, and he shook his head to himself. “So he hasn't said anything…” he murmured, barely loud enough for Rey to hear. 

She was about to ask what he meant by that, but the pain in her wound shot through her once more, and she winced, gripping it. 

Kylo frowned and lifted his head, leaning forward without taking another step to study her. “The blaster you got that wound from was also laced with toxins. The adrenaline from running only sped the process. You need treatment immediately.”

Rey looked over at where she was hit, and sure enough she could see sickly black veins creeping its way around the wound, visible just beyond the edge of her vest. She then looked back at Kylo. “What, you're going to help me?” she asked in disbelief. “How do I know you aren't just trying to finish me off?”

Kylo merely shrugged, looking exhausted. “You can sense for yourself that I have no intention to hurt you. I just happen to have an antidote kit lying around that you could use.” He then turned around. “If you want to just die here, however, be my guest.”

Rey really couldn't sense any malicious intent, or any ulterior motive. Either he was being genuine, or he'd somehow gotten powerful enough that he could convey his emotions into something entirely different to an enemy. Whatever it was, he did have a point in saying that Rey wasn't going to last long without help. As Kylo began walking, she had no choice but to follow.

 

*****

 

The place where Kylo was living was a simple shack, poorly built with moss growing at the sides. Rey guessed it had been here since before Kylo had arrived. It was surrounded by crops and trees, but nothing else. The shack was secluded from all, and its appearance was poor enough to lose the interest of anyone passing by.

He went ahead and opened the door for her, and visibly grew impatient as she dragged herself along inside. The poison was definitely beginning to take its toll. 

The inside was better than the exterior, though still cramped. The main room had a worn out couch with a small table in front of it, a beat up datapad settled on its surface. Nothing separated the room from the kitchen, and there was an incredibly small hallway where two doors faced opposite each other, which Rey assumed was the bathroom and Kylo’s room.

Kylo closed the door as soon as Rey was inside. “Lay there on the couch, and try not to strain yourself anymore than you already have,” he ordered, before heading straight for the bathroom.   
While Rey didn't appreciate his tone, she still did as he said. Collapsing on the couch, she laid back and focused on the ceiling, trying to even out her breathing. She was filled with both exhaustion and adrenaline, but she tried to calm herself.

Kylo came back quickly with the antidote kit, as promised, along with a bacta patch. He kicked the table out of the way to make more room for himself, and without a word he got to work. 

The antidote was in a syringe, and Kylo gave no warning as he injected it into Rey. She winced, but she was grateful to note that it was taking immediate effect. Kylo got the bacta patch, then looked pointedly at her vest. Although still sore, she managed to get one arm out of it, making it easier to place the patch over the wound. 

“...Thank you,” she murmured. Physically, she was beginning to feel better. She was still unnerved by the entire situation she found herself in, though. This was the last place she expected to see Kylo Ren with no hostility, and she wanted to know what was going on. “So what are you doing here?”

“Same as you, no doubt,” Kylo answered. He got up and headed to the small kitchen space, reaching into a portable fridge for a drink.

Rey strained her neck to watch, frowning. “Really. You're hiding from the Empire?”

“Mm.”

“How am I supposed to believe that?” Rey asked. She tried to sit up, but the remaining pain forced her to sit back down. “Just the other day I saw a holo of you with the Emperor--”

“And let me guess. I was fully cloaked, mask and all, with my lightsaber in hand and barely saying a word.” Kylo shook his head and retrieved two bottled drinks, placing one of them on the table in front of Rey if she needed it. “That’s not me. I haven't been by the Emperor's side in almost a year.”

None of that had made any sense. Why would Kylo have a stand in? Why would he be hiding from the Empire? “I don't understand.”

“And I'm not going to explain any further,” Kylo said simply. “Once you recover, I want you out of here, is that understood? If the person who shot you lived, there's no doubt they're going to alert someone of your presence. I don't want to be involved in that.”

“Wh-- no!” 

Kylo let out a sigh and closed his eyes, like he was trying to calm himself down. “Why am I not surprised that you'd object.”

“Because this is absolutely ridiculous! Do you actually think that I'll go, knowing that you're here?” Rey shook her head incredulously. If he really thought that, he must have grown even more stupid since she last saw him. 

She shook her head to herself. “And besides. If the bounty hunter knew where I was, he probably knows where I've been staying as well. It's not safe for me to go back.”

Kylo groaned and pulled up a chair, taking a drink out of his bottle. “So you're going to make yourself my problem, is that what I'm hearing?”

“Yes.” Rey couldn't believe she was being so insistent on this. She could very well try and steal a ship to get to another planet to safety, there was too much risk in that. Assuming that the bounty hunter was still alive, that is. With the firing that he faced back at the cantina, Rey doubted he was still breathing. 

Then again, that means she would be leaving Kylo. Any other time she would be more than willing to do that. Although, right now there was something different about him that she had never witnessed before. He tried to speak with hostility, but there was no true emotion in it. He was tired; he’s been running. He’s most likely been using all of the Force he wielded to cover up his presence so nobody could find him. There must be a reason that Rey was able to do just that, though, right?

She thought back to Leia, seeing the sadness in her eyes every time Kylo was mentioned. She had told Rey stories about him, back when he was still Ben. He was a strong child physically, but he needed someone there for him to help him stay on the right track. He needed support and assurance, attention and love. Leia believed he had been neglected all of it, and that was when Snoke had striked.

She also thought back to Luke, when he had told her of Darth Vader’s last moments. How, after everything he’d done, every evil he had committed, he had still managed to redeem himself in the end. If someone like Vader could be brought back to the light, surely Kylo could as well. Back to the life he was supposed to live, to the only family he had left.

After everything those two had done for her, Rey would at least try to give them back the only family they had left. 

She glanced over again at Kylo, who hadn’t said another word yet. He was looking down at his feet, as if he hoped his silence would be enough to drive Rey away. “Let me at least stay overnight,” she said. “Would that be all right?”

He looked up at her, and there was something about the look on his face that made Rey pity him. There were dark circles under his eyes, and now that she studied him more, he was skinnier and more worn since the last time she’d seen him. He wanted to look stoic and unbreakable, but Rey could sense his uneasiness. 

Eventually, he sighed and got up. “You look like you’re going to do what you want no matter what I say,” he muttered. “Fine. Whatever. Just...don’t get either of us caught.”

“I wasn’t planning to,” she said, but he had already entered his room and closed the door before he could hear her.


	2. Chapter 2

It only took less hour for Rey to feel completely healed, and around three for Kylo to come back out of his room.

 

Rey was starting to get hungry, and she always tended to follow instinct rather than manners. She looked through the tiny kitchen, trying to see what food she could scavenge. In a cold compartment that was nudged into the corner, there was a bag of bread slices. She took one and was just about to eat when she heard Kylo’s heavy footsteps enter the room. 

 

He blinked wearily over at her, brushing some hair behind his ear. “You could have gotten me instead of digging through my stuff,” he said.

 

“Don't worry, you hardly have much stuff to dig through in the first place,” Rey remarked. She tried to keep a fairly friendly tone, thinking that maybe it would make things easier for the both of them. However, Kylo didn't seemed phased, and Rey didn't feel any better. It was worth a shot. 

 

Kylo rolled his eyes and walked up to her, extending his hand out. She looked at it in confusion for a moment, before she remembered that she was still in front of the open fridge. She took one of the bread out and handed it to him. That seemed enough to satisfy him, and he took a bite as he seated himself on the couch.

 

Still too wary to make herself comfortable, Rey leaned against the wall, keeping a steady eye on Kylo. “So are you going to start explaining what’s going on?” she asked.

 

Kylo’s eye twitched irritably at the question, and he took another bite before responding, “I’ve no reason to disclose anything to you.”

 

“Yeah, well, I have a lot of reasons to need it disclosed,” Rey said, glaring him down. As much as she appreciated Kylo not planning to attack, he was being too defensive for her liking. She decided to kick it up a notch with her persistence. “You know I can very well just read your mind. Force the information out of you.”

 

In all actuality, she didn’t plan to do anything of the sort. She hated invading people’s mind if it wasn’t absolutely necessary. It reminded her only too vividly of the time when Kylo had interrogated her. The fact that there was another presence in her mind was enough to scare her for years.

 

The last time she did it to Kylo, he’d been taken aback, maybe even frightened. She was hoping for the same reaction this time, but she received a near opposite one. He leaned back in his seat and looked at her with his head held high. “Go ahead. I’m not going to speak a word of it.”

 

Rey narrowed her eyes at him, baffled. “You’re serious?” she asked. He nodded. It made her scoff. “Right. And I’m sure if I do this, you’ll take it as an open invitation to do the same.”

 

Kylo averted his gaze. “You won’t have to worry about that,” he muttered. Before Rey could ask what that was supposed to mean, he went on. “Go on. Find the answer yourself, if you really want it. Allow me to keep some pride and avoid speaking it.”

 

Rey hesitated for only a moment. She then closed her eyes and let out a deep breath.

  
  
  
  


_ This had never been discussed. In fact, it had been agreed to be completely off limits. Kylo hurried across halls, and everyone immediately moved to get out of his way. He didn’t stop before he found himself in the main observatory chamber. _

 

_ “Armitage!” _

 

_ Hux looked over his shoulder at Kylo, his face completely passive. He stood with his hands behind his back, two advisers at his side while a few guards kept a tight hold on recently captured prisoners. Usually, Hux would lash out at Kylo whenever he didn’t properly address him in public by his title (which frankly wasn’t often), but he seemed to understand that today was an exception. _

 

_ “Kylo. How good of you to join us. I feared you wouldn’t make it,” Hux greeted calmly. _

 

_ Kylo rushed up to him, and then caught view of the planet just outside. “What are you doing…?” _

 

_ “Oh, you don’t know?” Hux asked. “For a moment I thought that was why you came--” _

 

_ “Of course it’s why--” Kylo bit his lip and shook his head. “Armitage. You  _ promised _ me that no harm would come to Naboo!” _

 

_ Hux clicked his tongue and placed a hand on Kylo’s cheek, inappropriately gentle. “Oh, I know, love,” he said gently, and sounded like he had true regret. “But I’ve been left no choice. A lesson much be taught to the galaxy, and Naboo is going to help me teach it.” _

 

_ Kylo placed a hand on top of Hux’s, but he was looking pleadingly at him. “No. No more lessons. You’re already Emperor, you got what you wanted. This galaxy is yours to rule however you please. But this-- This is not the galaxy that you’ve told me you wanted, not the one that we fought for. This isn’t just about order, this is  _ fear. _ I thought you wanted to make this better than what Snoke was planning?” _

 

_ Hux’s expression darkened. “You’re comparing me to Snoke?” _

 

_ “N-No. No, that’s not…” Kylo’s mind was reeling, and he tried to keep himself composed. “Armitage, please. Don’t do this. You don’t need to prove anything else, you’re the perfect emperor. This is just...This isn’t right.” _

 

_ Hux stepped away, and any softness he may have had disappeared. “What position are you to tell me how to rule?” he demanded. “This would not be the first planet I have destroyed, if you don’t recall. It’s just that the moment something doesn’t turn out the way you selfishly want it to, you wish for it to all end. You lecture me on ruling with fear? You are part of the reason why it is instilled in everyone. You forget your place. You don’t tell me what to do. You obey me without question, Hound.” _

 

_ He spat the word like it was a distasteful slur and not the biggest title he could have given anyone. Kylo stumbled back, staring at Hux as though he slapped him. Hux simply sighed and turned back to view Naboo in front of them. “Fire,” he said, and ignored anything else Kylo may have had to say as the planet became no more. _

  
  
  
  


Rey gasped, leaning onto the wall to balance herself. She then looked up at Kylo, who was definitely doing his best to avoid looking at her. He had truly believed that Hux was trying to fix the galaxy? By the way she had felt everything Kylo felt at that moment, there was definitely an extreme love that was directed toward the emperor, as well as worry. Kylo didn’t expect any of this. He was blinded by his emotions so badly that he didn’t realize that what Hux had planned was just as toxic as whatever Snoke had intended.

 

Rey didn’t know if she should be more angry or sympathetic. 

 

She didn’t realize that she was quiet for longer than she had wanted, until Kylo said, “Are you finished?”

 

She gulped and nodded. “Yeah,” she said shakily. “So...I’m assuming that last talk with him was the one that finally drove you to your senses.”

 

Kylo grumbled something under his breath, and he curled in on himself. “I suppose that’s one way to put it,” he admitted, although he sounded very reluctant. “It was cowardly of me to run but I couldn’t...I couldn’t just stay there with him.”

 

Rey put her food down, her appetite lost. “But you know now that he’s evil, in a way you tried to think the dark side wasn't. You finally get that, don’t you? So why didn’t you stop him--”

 

“And how would you have proposed I manage that, Rey?” Kylo snapped. “Do you think I should have killed him? Because I murder so much that I be completely numb to any grief. That’s what you’re thinking, isn’t it? _ I still love him. _ I can’t even imagine hurting him. It would be like if you hurt the traitor. Not the easiest thing to do, is it?” 

 

Rey wanted to yell at him, that no it wasn’t the same, because Finn wouldn’t do any of the things Hux had ever did, but...Rey could still feel the love radiating off of Kylo, the torment of having to leave him. He wanted to go back to Hux, but knew that wouldn’t do any good for himself or the people Hux was ruling over. She walked over to him and sat down, leaning forward so she could catch his eye. “I’m sorry, Kylo. But this is a good thing, you know? You can start off fresh--”

 

“No,” he said firmly. “I'm not starting over, not again. This is it. I can't get involved with anything anymore. Not with the Empire, or the Resistance if there's still part of it somewhere...This is best for me.”

 

“Kylo…” Rey was tempted to reject everything he said, but it wouldn't do. Kylo needed time, he needed to be eased into thoughts about having a future somewhere else, and that he didn't need to exile himself here. They both had time, and Rey would do what she could to help him. If she could help. She couldn't just give up on him like he has on himself. 

 

She stood up and offered her hand to him. “Let's take a walk?” she suggested. “It may help clear your mind.”

 

Kylo’s laugh was devoid of humor. “Only a miracle can do that,” he said. After a moment of consideration though, he got up without Rey’s help. “Fine. I need to re-scout the area anyway.”

**Author's Note:**

> Title from the song "Dearly Departed" by Young Guns.


End file.
